Each game is basically a Raising Sim with some Dating Sim elements and RPG Elements thrown in for good measure. Each game begins with the player gaining an adoptive daughter who's special in some way. The player is tasked with raising his/her daughter from adolescence to adulthood.

The player sets up her schedule regarding what jobs she takes, and what her education is. Based on how you raise her, her stats will change and she chooses a career and life partner based on that. The result can be freaking adorable... or Nightmare Fuel. Hey, it's still Gainax.

A retranslated and updated version of the second game (the most well-known one) was released on Steam in late 2016, followed by an updated version of its predecessor in 2017 and English release of successor few months later, with the possibility of further installments following it in the future.

These games provide examples of:

Abandonware: SoftEgg averts this: even though their English language version of Princess Maker 2 was never released, the game is still the property of Gainax and thus not truly abandoned, hence their request not to pirate the English prototype of game. (An English translation of the updated re-release did receive an official release in September of 2016.)

Abusive Parents: You can be this. In 2, the Patron Gods will call you out if you make it so your daughter lacks lots of skills, dies of sickness, or picks an evil profession. Namely, they call you a heartless parent. Ouch!

Action Girl: It really depends on what you're aiming for, but your daughter can be one if you make her work on her fighting skills.

Adorably Precocious Child: The young dragon guarding the temple desert. He'll fall in love with your daughter when defeated and will try to ask her hand in marriage, trying to be mature and coming off quite awkwardly. Your daughter will be reluctant about marrying such a young'un. She'll either give in - if only because he's adorable (and after pretending to reject his advances), or will run off with the Prince or Cube, leaving a very sad boy.

Affably Evil: Lucifon in the second game is less a menacing figure and more a guy you can sit down and have a drink with. See Punch-Clock Villain. That doesn't mean he's harmless though, he almost destroys the kingdom and the most generous thing you can say about him is he takes a pride in his line of work. He's especially proud if your daughter kills him and becomes princess of darkness herself. Beyond that, there is the demon that shows up to grant your daughter more charisma, if she moves up in reputation.

Amazon Chaser: The king in the second game, in particular, will enjoy your daughter's company more if she has a high combat reputation stat.

Anachronism Stew: The first to fourth game seems to take place in... a vague idea of what Japan thinks the 1200s looked like. The fifth game takes place in modern day Japan.

Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: If your daughter is a good martial artist/magician, she'll be constantly challenged by many of these. Also, Anita the fighting rival is a female version of the trope.

Artificial Stupidity: Through cheats, you can activate a "Demo Mode" in Princess Maker 2, in which the game attempts to play itself... not only does it have a tendency to constantly cancel whatever it selects, but it seems to just select directions to move at random if it gets itself into an adventure area, creating situations where it keeps moving back and forth along a path, or moves into a sign over and over.

Badass Adorable: Your daughter can become quite the fighter, pretty much destroying anyone that gets in her way - and she does it in quite a cute fashion!

Big Damn Heroes: In games where combat is possible, Cube will swoop down from the sky if your daughter is KO-ed. What a guy.

Bonus Boss: The War God in Princess Maker 2, who guards the (literal) stairway to Heaven. He's far tougher than any other character in the game, but can be beaten relatively easily if you use the right stat exploits.

Also in Princess Maker 2: working at the cemetery with a high fighting reputation may result in a skeletal knight confronting your daughter. Defeating it will net you a nice sum of gold.

Bragging Rights Reward: The ultimate gift of Fay, Paimon and Dovomoi. Infinite MP is not worthy the amount of money wasted on Magic classes needed to get the Power Ring, and by the time you earned the Perfume and/or the Flour, you'll be skilled enough to get their benefit without them. Valkria's Sword is the only gift that averts this, being easily earned earlier in the game and being a nice alternative to the War god's sword.

Breast Expansion: Buxomize Pills in the second game, the Bra of Fairies in the fifth one.

Card-Carrying Villain: In the second game, Lucifon and his horde are appointed by God to be evil and tempt mortals. They only attacked the kingdom because God commanded it, and are pretty sociable when not carrying out their duties.

Career Versus Man: Not an issue in the first four games, as the daughter can get both a career and a marriage ending - though there are also cases where her marriage is her career. Played straight in the fifth game, however. The daughter can only get one ending, either marriage or career. Likely because the setting is modern Japan.

Cheat Code: In the English beta of Princess Maker 2, pressing F12, R, N, and Q together while in town will unlock two secret stores: Mad Eddie's, where you can give yourself money, skip forward in time, toggle event flags, or kill your daughter; and the Beta Shop, which lets you set your game's ending, look through in-game graphics, or end the game automatically. In the original PC-9801 version of 2, the code required the player to press ESC, Y, M, O and numpad / simultaneously.

In the games where the daughter can have both career and family, it's often remarked on how she must have a husband and kids as well. i.e., in 2 the Gods are quite displeased if the girl either doesn't marry or doesn't have strong maternal instincts.

In the second game, the General's line about how girls should not just be refined but also think of what they can do to please men may not be ill-intentioned from him, but it's pretty sexist in practice.

In the third game you can send your daughter to work in coal mines at the age of ten.

Digital Bikini: The SoftEgg version of 2 has a couple of the beach scenes redrawn to cover the daughter up. This doesn't apply to either the opening or the endings.

Dirty Old Man: The King, the local land lord and the old dragon in Princess Maker 2.

Do Well, but Not Perfect: In Princess Maker 2, if you're shooting for a Queen by Marriage ending (the best possible social ending), you should try for a solid but not exceptional charisma, otherwise you'll end up as his concubine.

Exposition Fairy: Your demon butler, Cube, who helps you set up your daughter's schedule at the beginning of each month. In Princess Maker 3, that role is taken on by a literal fairy, Uzu. Cube came back for every subsequent game.

Flat-Earth Atheist: The alchemist◊. He's one of the worse teachers, besides the General - he's cheap, but will lower faith a lot as soon as your daughter is promoted to Adept, which closes off some encounters.note He lives in a kingdom that was invaded by Satan himself only a year before the game begins, by the way.

Oh, and your daughter can be one, too, even after meeting her God/Goddess.

Food Porn: The food you can buy at the local restaurant, the birthday cakes and definitely the food from the cooking contest. Luscious!

Fur Bikini: One of the outfits from the third game's ending. Also provides the page picture.

Gameplay and Story Segregation: In Princess Maker 2, your character was able to defeat the king of hell in single combat, and yet apparently can't get a better salary than 500 gold a year (your daughter can easily get several times that working part-time), you have to send your daughter away to train under somebody else in fighting and swordplay (and pay for it), and your character can't even go with her to protect her on adventures. The game handwaves it by saying that the 500g a year is what's left over from your job, which as a full-time position doesn't leave you much time for your daughter. (If you want to stay home with her when she's sick, that costs you money.)

Genki Girl: Wendy the Magician Girl, who is positively happy about the prospect of getting her ass kicked by your daughter.

Glass Cannon: A daughter with low Stamina but high Strength/Attack. Some opponents in the occasional public challenge also have low HP and/or defense.

Golden Ending: Certain endings in the games are considered the best or flat-out stated to be the canon ending, and they are all extra difficult to obtain. Special mention goes to the fourth game, where Patricia learns of her heritage, convinces the kingdom to remove the Sage Stones and brings peace between the humans and demons, all while also managing to reunite with her long-lost mother.

Guide Dang It!: It's not always intuitive which stats will lead to which career choices, and some future romantic interests can only be met on very, very obscure sidequests.

Handicapped Badass: One of the fighting teachers, Carl Fox, is blind. Lector, the Fencing teacher has only one eye.

And the one-eyed one also seems to be missing his right arm.

Heart Is an Awesome Power: Sensitivity will allow your daughter to see fairies, see an elf that will give your daughter magic powers in return for some physical power, talk to some enemies (thus stopping them from trying to kill your daughter) and is required in some endings.

Faith is another one. There are some enemies that can be talked to that requires this instead of Sensitivity. It also stops your daughter from drinking with Lucifon and getting lots of sins in the process if you aren't going for the Princess of Darkness ending. It also help in gaining popularity with the Archbishop.

If you want to do well at the best jobs, you want a high Morality. Your daughter won't be a wise queen or a brave hero without it.

Hello, Nurse!: Your daughter grows up to be very pretty, and several male NPCs aside from the ones she can marry express interest in her. If her Charisma is very high, a tycoon will come frequently to ask for her hand in marriage; if in addition to it her Morals are low, a Dirty Old Man or other sleazy person will ask her to be his concubine (and if she accepts, her Morals will go even lower).

The High Queen: The best and hardest ending in the second game is when your daughter becomes Queen Regnant. She can be this by marriage... but the path towards queenship by marriage is rather squicky, as it involves the girl marrying the old King. (Unless she marries the Prince.)

Hot Consort: Some of the endings. The highest one you can get is Queen by Marriage.

Hot Witch: Most of the Magical endings show the daughter as very attractive and wearing significantly less clothing than she would in other endings.

Katanas Are Just Better: Best shop-available weapon in the game, but others are much, MUCH better... obviously not available in shops.

Improbable Age: In Princess Maker 2, it's entirely possible for you to be known as a famous war hero that essentially defeated Satan, as well as having taken up adopting a 10-year-old girl... all while being 11-years-old! Take a few moments to imagine what that would be like...

Inevitable Tournament: Every October in Princess Maker 2, there is a Harvest Festival, where your daughter can compete in a fighting tournament, as well as contests for cooking, dancing, and art.

Infinity +1 Sword: The War God's sword in Princess Maker 2, earned from defeating its wielder, is the strongest blade in the game.

I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: In Princess Maker 2, the Dragon Youth is sad but willing to break off the engagement with your daughter when he thinks that she doesn't love him, if you've betrothed her (against her will) to him. However, your daughter throws it back to his face and gives him a "Stop being such a wimp" talk and agrees to marry him, because he's so pathetic and cute that she doesn't have the heart to refuse him.

If your daughter marries someone else, however, you get a rather sad The Stinger with him crying that he'll never love again. Poor kid.

Lady of War: Your daughter becomes one in some endings if you favorized military-related studies. There is for instance the General ending in 2.

Laser-Guided Amnesia: In 3, this happens to everyone who knew the daughter if any of the Fairy endings are achieved. The rivals in particular will remember that they were competing against someone, but not who or why.

Lesbian Option: Princess Maker 4 (the PC version) had four endings where your daughter could become romantically involved with her friends she made during the game.

Lighter and Softer: Patricia in the fourth one doesn't have a prostitute route with obligatory sultry outfit. This is due to Naoto Tenhiro's distaste for sexualizing the women he draws. Takami Akai, on the other hand, had no such compunctions.

Lost in Translation: In the SoftEgg translation of 2, Wendy's got a thing about "Magician Girls!" which makes no sense. In the original and Refine, she's drawing a distinction between a Magical Girl and a magician (which is pedantic, but not pure nonsense).

Magic Knight: If you get your daughter to work on her magic and fighting skills, she becomes one of these.

Mighty Lumberjack: In Princess Maker 2, being a lumberjack increases your strength, which increases your attack power, which means if you do it enough, you'll be be killing enemies in one hit. It has the side effect of sucking away your daughter's refinement points, though.

Misplaced Vegetation: There is a rafflesia on a small isle at the (non-tropical and mostly grassland) Lakes in the second game.

Missing Mom: The fate of Patricia's mother in PM4 ties very heavily into the plot.

The Mistress: Some of the endings, the best of which is Royal Concubine.

Nice Job Breaking It, Hero!: In 2, if you let your daughter die or end up with a criminal or low-class career, her patron god or goddess will dress you down for it.

Noble Demon: Cube is a 'nobleman of the underworld.' He is a loyal butler to the hero, who fought said Demon King Lucifon. And he is always polite and helpful, helping the hero and his daughter in any way possible, including being a moral guidance (some female Cube fans speculate that he was driven out of hell for being too nice.) He is a demon nobleman alright, but no noble demon.

According to the manual the Demon King sent him to serve the hero out of respect for the heroes strength in battle, and to help him out due to crippling injury he received as part of the fight. Similarly to the demon king whose job is punish and tempt mortals, Cube's job is to be the perfect butler and give good advice where possible.

No Social Skills: Low conversation, Decorum and Charisma in the 2nd game result in your daughter having this. As s consequence, she won't be able to talk to high-ranked people in the castle...

Not Wanting Kids Is Weird: In 2, having children and being a good mother has a significant impact on your score, and if your daughter doesn't get married and have kids, her god will say that this is a bad thing.

Obvious Beta: The English language version of Princess Maker 2 is quite clearly in an unfinished state, with many endings lacking proper text. It actually contains a "beta store" that lets you diddle with the stats, trigger any ending you want and change your daughter's outfit as you see fit.

Otaku Surrogate: Sayori Ashina in Princess Maker 5. Your daughter can become one too, there's even an otaku stat.

Type A: +3 Morality points every three months, but also +2 Stress points at the start of each month.

Type B: -2 Stress points each month.

Type AB: +2 Sensitivity points per month.

Type O: No boost at all.

Physical Heaven: In the second game, to match its physical hell. It's connected to the Northern Mountains and the gate is guarded by the War God. Olive can force her way in if she's strong enough, and meet with her divine patron.

Physical Hell: In the second game at least, the Western Desert is largely part of Hell, complete with its own Legions of Hell. It's under Heaven's jurisdiction however.

Pimped-Out Dress: At least half the ending outfits are fancy dresses, running the gamut of how dresses can be pimped out.

Real Women Don't Wear Dresses: Zigzagged in the second game, where going for a Social ending leads to significantly worse scores than other endings that require similar reputations and stats. The game considers being a housewife, in particular, to be a bad thing. On the other hand, the best endings tend to be balanced ones, where the daughter has strong social and housework reputations to back up her proficiency in combat and magic.

Rescue Romance: Your daughter's relationship with Cube improves greatly if he rescues her from the bandits trying to rape her after they defeat her in battle. It also slightly improves if your daughter was defeated in combat on an adventure.

Shrinking Violet: Marthia, the home maker rival in the second game. Bonus for having purple-gray hair.

Silk Hiding Steel: Even if you raise her to be a demure housewife, she can still have good fighting skills. Actually, many of the higher up endings in the second game guarantee this: the Archbishop, Prime Minister, Ruling Queen, and Scholar endings all require fairly high reputations in all four spheres: Fighting, Magic, Social, and Housework.

Spiritual Successor: There are several games originally written in English which are quite similar to Princess Maker 2. The Flash game Project Princess is the most similar, since the player acts as the girl's parent. The independent games Cute Knight, Cute Knight Kingdom, and Spirited Heart all feature a female main character who essentially raises herself. Long Live the Queen also has an essentially self-raising princess but otherwise plays out more like a Visual Novel than an RPG, with the character stats mainly being used as triggers for various Event Flags. Also, the Japanese game Dear My Sun!! and the Chinese fan-game Prince Maker - Braveness put the player in the role of a woman who raises one or two young men. There's a series of apps called Love Story that involves raising a daughter (or son if you pay for it) with very similar gameplay to Princess Maker. There's also Slave Maker, which is basically this game with anime heroines from all genres and very few "non-sexy" endings. The latest version has Cube as a potential assistant. The irony is noted.

Stout Strength: The more stamina and strength the daughter has, the further her weight and musculature increases. Some ballgowns are designed for a thinner figure so if she wishes to fit in them, she's forced to diet, which decreases her stamina and makes her more frail, increasing her chances of falling ill and decreasing her HP during fights.

Useless Useful Non-Combat Abilities: Averted in the fifth game. Certain skills that no sane person will use in combat can be used to win combat. Apparently your daughter can dance crazy, the troll boss flee in terror!

Video Game Cruelty Punishment: In addition to a Game Over if your daughter dies, having an evil daughter leads to a bad ending. Beat some morals into your daughter and keep them there, or she'll probably become a whore or criminal.

Villainous Harlequin: Subverted with the second game's court jester. People think he is one, and in fact visiting him lowers her reputation, but he's actually a Trickster Mentor to your daughter.

Wake Up, Go to School, Save the World: The fifth game. If you feel that doing both is overwhelming (it really builds up Stress), feel free to ditch either one. It's strongly implied that someone will save the magical world if your daughter doesn't.

What the Hell, Player?: Screw up enough and the game won't hold back trying to make you feel ashamed for what ends up happening to your daughter. The worst is if you manage to let her die, in which she bemoans her short life and gets you chewed out by your God.

Whole Costume Reference: Some outfits are based on historical ones. The "Countess" ending in 2 gives her a dress like what Anne of Cleaves wore. The ruling queen ending dresses her◊ up like Napoleon◊.

Wife Husbandry: One of the possible endings. Unlike other cases, most do generally frowned upon it in-game but all will accept it due to there being no blood-relations. The thing that makes it less Squicky is, you can set your own age, so it's possible to marry your teenage daughter while still being a teenager yourself.

You Kill It, You Bought It: This is how the Hell ending mentioned above ends up happening. Technically happens if your daughter defeats the War God, but it doesn't affect endings - instead, he gives her the best sword in the game.

You Gotta Have Blue Hair: The princess in the third game has purple hair. Marthia, one of the possible rivals, restaurant assistant, and occasional dancer in the second game has blue hair.

Community

Tropes HQ

TVTropes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available from thestaff@tvtropes.org. Privacy Policy